Living Well Through Education & Nutrition

What is a Herxheimer Reaction?

A few customers have reported that they experience what is described as a Herxheimer reaction immediately after they begin their organic sulfur regimen.

A Herxheimer reaction (or herx) is a detoxification response where the body kills off parasites, fungus, viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens at a faster rate than it is capable of handling.

As the body detoxifies, it is not unhealthy or unusual to experience headaches, body aches, joint and muscle pain, nausea, and other flu-like symptoms that typically last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks in duration.

During a Herxheimer reaction, affected individuals may be tempted to avoid the supplement or medication that is causing the response, thereby, discontinuing the very treatment that is helping to detoxify their body. Although the symptoms are unpleasant, a Herxheimer reaction is actually an indication that healing is taking place.

Customers who experience flu-like symptoms should immediately take more organic sulfur and review their daily water intake (1 ounce of water for every 2 pounds/0.9 kg of body weight). Taking more organic sulfur than your body requires seems to be better tolerated than taking too little.

If you immediately experience a Herxheimer reaction when you begin your sulfur protocol, you may want to try lowering your dosage as follows:

Take 1⁄2 teaspoon once a day for 5 days, then take 1 teaspoon once day for the next 5 days, then 1 teaspoon twice a day for the next 5 days. Be sure to dissolve the sulfur crystals in non-chlorinated water (hot tap water is fine). If you choose to heat your drinking water using a microwave oven, please make sure you do not add the sulfur crystals until after you heat the water. While microwaving will remove chlorine from water, it also heats the sulfur past its boiling point of 271 degrees F.